5 Addictions that Will Cost You the Most Money

Cigarettes are addictive and the average smoker lights up to the tune of around $1,789 per year. In areas where cigarettes are more expensive, such as New York, that price goes up to approximately $3,854 for those who smoke about a pack a day.

A junk food addiction might not seem like a big deal compared to the average American diet until you realize it could be costing you up to $4,968 per year. You might be spending $3,500 on the extra food, adding on the additional cost of diet pills and supplements if you have a binge/purge cycle. Binge eating is an addiction with all of the associated costs.

Drinking might be fun on occasion — no happy hour is complete without at least a beer — but the average American spends 1 percent of his or her income on alcohol. Those with an addiction can pony up a lot more during a year. If you fall into the top 10 percent of drinkers and do most of your drinking at a bar, the price could hit more than $20,000. At home drinkers save a lot, but once you add on the cost of a DUI or other legal charges, the price climbs quickly.

Winning might be a lot of fun, but the average male gambling addict drops more than $55,000 at the tables. Female gamblers put up an average of $15,000. In either case, the fun of the occasional win doesn’t touch the depression of maxed-out credit cards and looming debts.

If you occasionally toke up or roll a jay, you might be looking at an annual outlay of around $1,000, but harder drugs come with heavier price tags, both when you buy and if you get caught using. With cocaine, you could spend up to $91,250 per year if you use an eight ball a day. Even at a gram-a-day habit, you’re looking at up to $25,500.

Addictions — hard or soft, legal or illegal — cost you thousands out of pocket. They cost society even more in treatment and lost productivity. If you think you have a problem, seek help and beat the addiction.